Canvas 3rd Party Tools
Canvas is VCU’s centrally supported Learning Management System (LMS). Canvas has the capability to integrate with 3rd Party Tools and are used to enhance course facilitation through the platform. The Learning Systems team manages Canvas and supports this integration process.
For a list of Canvas 3rd Party Tools that are currently available in Canvas, and have already been installed by the Learning Systems team at the institution-wide level, please see the table below. Learning Systems manages the integration of all tools within Canvas and maintains a list of all tools licensed for use by the VCU community. Tools that are licensed at the department or program level are documented and managed by the requesting party.
Following an audit finding in mid-2024, the Learning Systems team is required to take the following action in regards to Canvas Third Party Tools by June 1, 2026:
- Identify known tools that lack an institutional agreement. All new and existing tools are required to secure a VCU agreement in order to be integrated within Canvas.
- Identify known tools that are configured using a deprecated version of the LTI standard. All existing tools are required to be upgraded to the latest version (LTI 1.3).
- Disable the ability for instructors to configure deprecated LTI versions at the course-level.
On June 1, 2026 instructors will no longer be able to add a Third Party tool to their own individual course. Instead, they will be required to submit a request to integrate the tool to the Learning Systems team at: go.vcu.edu/canvas-tools-request.
Following the completion of the Canvas Third Party Tool request form, the tool must be submitted for review by the IT Governance process: go.vcu.edu/itgov
Canvas 3rd Party Tools add functionality to a Canvas course. For example, an instructor may want to include a study aid (flashcards, mini-quizzes, etc.) to help students better understand the concepts being taught. Other examples of Canvas 3rd Party Tools that you may be familiar with are: Top Hat, Respondus, Turnitin, and VoiceThread.
For a list of Canvas 3rd Party Tools that are currently available in Canvas, and have already been installed by the Learning Systems team, please see the table at the bottom of this page.
Please note that users without an eID may be unable to use Canvas 3rd Party Tools due to licensing limitations. For more information, please see: Non-VCU User Access (Affiliates).
If instructors would like a tool integrated with their own individual course(s) only, they should obtain their own tool credentials (i.e. secret and key) and can then add the tool to their own individual course following the instructions provided by the vendor supporting the tool. Please note that this only applies to particular tools on LTI version 1.1
If instructors are using a tool on LTI version 1.3, this will require installation by a member of the Learning Systems team and must be reviewed through the Request Third Party Tool process.
If you need a tool that will be added to all courses in a department or all courses university-wide, you must follow the Canvas 3rd Party Tools Requests procedure. For more information about the LTI standard and its associated versions, please see "What does LTI mean?".
Additional Resources
Using the Canvas EduApp Center (Canvas Community)
Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is the standard process that allows us to integrate 3rd party tools within Canvas.
According to the 1EdTech Consortium (formerly IMS Global), “Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is a standard developed by 1EdTech Consortium, which allows courseware and learning tools from different vendors to be launched within a learning platform, often a Learning Management System (LMS). The LTI integration allows the student to move seamlessly from one tool to the other, with minimal effort from instructors or students. The current version of LTI is 1.3, and previous versions are now deprecated.
As of June 30, 2022 LTI versions 1.1 and 1.2 have been deprecated, requiring that we transition tools on v1.1 and 1.2 to the newest standard. LTI v1.3 is the only currently supported version of the LTI standard. LTI 1.3 requires that tools are installed by a root-level Canvas administrator, which is a departure from previous standards.
Additional Resources
- LTI Fundamentals FAQ (1EdTech)
- Trusted Apps Directory (1EdTech)
The Learning Systems (LS) team’s primary responsibility in facilitating Canvas 3rd Party Tool Requests is serving in the role of system integrator for VCU’s Canvas instance. To complement the LS team’s role in facilitating these requests, additional resources are required on the part of requesters and university partners to successfully review tools prior to installation, including:
- VCU’s IT Governance process: accessibility and security reviews
- VCU Learning Systems: system administrators and tool integrators
- VCU community members and elevated Canvas users: functional testing
Please review the current list of tools already available at VCU (at the bottom of this page), before submitting a request. If the tool is already available at VCU, but a newer version is needed, please follow the request procedures below.
To request the installation of a new tool, please see the Request a Canvas 3rd Party Tool page.
Please note: Submission of this form is NOT necessary for faculty interested in adding a tool to their course only. The VCU faculty community is a driving force in identifying innovative tools that meet their course goals, and for that reason we have enabled course-level integration within VCU's Canvas environment. Caution is advised for any tool's potential impact on students (cost, security, accessibility, etc). Instructors needing tools for their own courses should work with the vendor or publisher to get credentials (i.e. secret and key) and configuration instructions. For more information, please see "How Do I Add a Canvas 3rd Party Tool To My Course?".
List of Currently Installed 3rd Party Tools @ VCU
Tools Integrated with the LTI Standard, available to any course at VCU
Click on the name of a tool for more information.
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*If a tool is listed with a 'No' VCU agreement, it is subject to removal at a later date.
Please note: Due to a recently introduced compliance requirement, the Learning Systems team is evaluating known tools that lack an institutional agreement. All new and existing tools are required to secure a VCU agreement in order to be integrated within Canvas.
Other Integrated Tools
The tools below are integrated with Canvas for the VCU Community to use. These tools are integrated using a different method than the above table.
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